


Pearlescent

by garbage_dono



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Biology, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Mates, Merfolk AU, Oviposition, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 02:27:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16317407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbage_dono/pseuds/garbage_dono
Summary: Allura and Lotor consummate their bond and welcome new members to their family.





	Pearlescent

**Author's Note:**

> Well...this is a new interest.
> 
> Thanks to the lotura discord peeps for (as always) ~~enabling me~~ providing ample inspiration. This actually turned way more fluffy than originally planned. :P
> 
> This fic does feature egg-laying, but not into anyone else. It's not a seahorse situation.

It was a calm, cool night, moonlight filtering down through the water like the tentacles of a giant, looming jellyfish. Allura let them graze over her scales as she drifted aimlessly in the gentle current, her eyes closed and her skin tingling.

Lotor would be here any moment – she could sense him drawing near. From the moment that familiar low, steady click had reached her, she had been buzzing with excitement. The feeling was mutual, it seemed; as soon as she'd offered her own click in reply to his, Lotor's had grown stronger, quicker, more eager. Each one that reached her made her heart race more and more. 

And tonight was the night. _Finally._ They night they'd been awaiting for so long. 

The first full moon of the season marked the start of her estrus, and the deep, throbbing heat in her belly and the vibrant pink flush of her scales made it impossible to miss. It was a feeling she knew well, but this time was unlike any other. Unlike so many cycles before, this time, she had someone to spend it with. Someone to see to the eggs swelling within her.

This time, by night’s end, they would have a clutch of soon-to-be merlings to tend to, rather than a sad unfertilized pile buried on the outskirts of the kelp fields.

They had long since decided on Oriande Cove for their nest. It was nestled in the curve of the rocky cliffs, well protected from predators and nest-ravagers. The quiet little cave, hidden behind a dense patch of swaying seaweed, had always been one of Allura’s favorite hideaways, both as a child and well into her adult years. She couldn’t imagine a better place to share the night with her newly bound mate. Couldn't think of any other place she'd rather bring their children into the world. 

Her heart leaped when she finally spotted him – his deep navy scales would have made him almost invisible, if not for his platinum mane trailing behind him in the shifting currents. His own fins were splayed and gleaming bright silver, a sign of his own eagerness, and he grinned as he grew closer. She darted out to meet him, clicking with glee as their tails finally entwined. “You’re here,” she sighed. “You came.”

“Of course.” He wasted no time leaning in to nuzzle her cheek, his claws skimming down over her swollen belly. “I set out the moment the sun started to dip…truth be told, I could barely wait that long.” His laughter was warm and welcoming, and Allura buried her nose in the crook of his neck. Her tail’s grip on his own was tight, but it didn’t seem tight enough – even with their bodies pressed so close together, she desperately longed for more.

Lotor, it seemed, felt much the same. He nipped at her shoulder, sharp teeth barely grazing her skin. “I brought you something,” he muttered against her.

She could barely hear him over the sound of blood rushing in her ears. “Mm?”

A moment later, he reached for the satchel over his shoulder and pulled out a healthy-sized squid. It was a fresh kill – he must have made it on his way here. “You should eat,” he insisted.

Food was the last thing on her mind. Her entire body was heavy with need, and not for squid. But he was right, and she knew she would regret it later if she didn’t take the offer. She took his hand, grinning as she did and leading him to the entrance of the cove. “Inside,” she said. “We’ll _both_ eat.”

His tail fin playfully whipped against her own as he followed, eyes gleaming and eager, and as bright as the moon.

She giggled as they parted the seaweed at the entrance of the cove, the glow of her markings lighting the dark passageway up pink as she swam into the shadows. Lotor’s deep purple light joined hers just a moment later, reflecting off of his gleaming yellow eyes when she turned to look at him. “You’re slow,” she teased with a flick of her tail fin, though she could hardly blame him. She knew the winding passageway into the cove so well she could have navigated it blind.

“I caught you a squid,” he said with a pout. Like that made up for making her wait.

It didn’t matter – they had all night after all.

Finally, they reached the mouth of the cavern, smooth stone sloping far above them. Moonlight shone through cracks and crevices in the rock overhead, beyond the surface of the water, casting a glistening blue-silver hue over them both and the soft sand beneath. It was in the corner of this wide clearing, nestled against the tide-smoothed rock, that Allura had chosen to nest. It was large enough for the both of them, padded with the softest kelp she could find – she had spent weeks weaving it, smoothing it, pressing it into a gentle divot in the sand so the edges wouldn’t fray. And now her entire body thrummed with excitement at the very sight of it.

“This place…” Lotor swam a slow and careful circle around the perimeter, eyes wide and mouth open in a soft and contemplative _o._ “It’s beautiful…” He turned to beam at her. “It’s perfect.”

Her chest swelled with pride, and she let her tail curl beneath her on the sand as she canted her head up to face the moon where it peeked through the rocks above. “Somehow I always knew it would be.” She felt him glide up beside her, his fins tickling her ribs as he nuzzled her shoulder. She gave into the urge to pull him closer to her. “I dreamed of bringing you here…mating with you here…”

He hummed against her, the sound catching on the edge of a growl. His claws curled against her scales. “We should…” His words stuttered a bit on their way out. “We should eat first…”

“So insistent,” she laughed, and though the heaviness in the pit of her stomach made it hard to think much of food, she didn’t hesitate to sink her teeth into the squid when Lotor offered it again.

They ate quickly, leaving what little remained in the sand and letting the gentle current carry them over to the nest. Lotor sank down against the kelp bed, wrapping his tail around her invitingly as she settled beside him. Her eyes fluttered closed as his claws combed through her hair, removing the tangles and decorative shells that they found as they went. His lips were pressed against her shoulder the whole time, a steady pattern of rhythmic, soothing clicks echoing through the chamber.

As one hand smoothed through her hair, the other wandered down the front of her chest, down over the swell of her lower belly and teasing at her slit. She let out a gasp and leaned back against him, tail unfurling and fins fanning out against the woven kelp. Her gills flared, her heart pounding in her chest, and she brought her hand up against Lotor’s shoulder and felt him nip at the webbing between her fingers.

“Easy,” he whispered as his finger pressed further inside, and she could feel her own muscles rippling around the digit in anticipation. His tail wrapped around her hips, tugging her closer against the warmth of his chest. “Easy, my love…”

As he spoke she let her head tilt back against him, her hair spilling behind her and over his shoulder. He was slow, methodical, keenly aware of his claws and agonizingly careful of their points as he pressed another finger inside and _curled_ them in a way that made her fins flare. His free arm was hooked around her waist, palm flat against her chest, holding her steady, keeping her grounded with soft, steady strokes of his thumb across her skin.

But fingers alone weren’t enough – the _ache_ in her belly was far too powerful to resist. She twisted in his grasp, letting out a whine when the change in angle pulled his fingers away from her swollen slit – just for a moment, she told herself. Only for a few moments before she would feel him again in earnest.

Their tails tangled together as she pressed against his sheath, feeling the bulge of it against her scales. Lotor shivered when she reached down to touch it, and she smiled. “I should have a chance to tease too, don’t you think?”

“Far be it from me to deny you,” he said with a smirk of his own. It was easy to pin him down against the kelp, to coil her tail around his and tickle his scales with her fin. He was hot against her palm when she parted the folds of his sheath to touch his length, and he arched against her. “Ah – Allura…” She let the pads of her fingers play over the ridges as they grew more pronounced, wrapped her fingers around him when he finally slid free. He bucked up into her loose grip, a guttural moan escaping his throat as he did.

The moonlight streamed across his face, lighting his skin up silver and catching the points of his teeth. There was a throb in her belly, more pronounced now that ever before, and she rocked against him as her tail lashed impatiently. “Mate me,” she shuddered. Needy. Eager for him. Desperate to relieve the heaviness of her eggs weighing her down. “Lotor… _mate me…_ ”

He merely nodded, turning them over in the water until her back pressed against the soft kelp bed. His tail fin scraped against her scales, a soothing, loving touch. When he pressed himself against her slit, her entire body sang – _yes, yes, yes!_ Finally – _finally_ – with a roll of his hips and a guiding hand, he slid inside.

He groaned against her shoulder, nuzzling and nipping at her as he seated himself deep within her, and it was perfect, _perfect,_ so incredible that she could barely breathe. She curled her tail up and around, tail fin splaying out against his back. “Lotor…you…you feel…” _Amazing,_ but the word didn't feel like enough. His hands wandered down her sides, resting on the swell of her tail and stopping there. Holding her as he undulated against her. The press and drag of his length inside felt like a wave against the beach, steady and gentle. The gleam of the moon above filled her vision.

Lotor pulled back enough to rest his forehead against hers, his eyes replacing the night sky. They were a hundred times as beautiful. “Allura…” he sighed, reaching up to smooth the hair back from her face. The marks on his cheeks pulsed with a lavender glow. “My pearl…” His eyes gently closed, his brow pinching. “My moon and tide…”

She pressed her claws against the small of his back, feeling his rhythm stutter. She could barely wait – to be filled, to be _his,_ to sate this ache in her belly. “Please…”

He hid his face in the crook of her neck with a grunt.

Her fingers curled against his skin insistently. “Lotor, _please…_ ”

She didn’t need to ask again – before she could get out another word Lotor stiffened against her, tail wrapping around her so tightly that it forced the water from her gills. He pulsed within her, a stuttering moan getting lost against her neck. Warmth flooded every corner of her, lighting her up like their glows bathed the entire cavern in pink and purple.

His hair was impossibly soft under her fingers as she carded them through, her tail fin stroking up and down along Lotor’s scales. Slowly, his grip on her loosened, and by the time he slipped out of her again he looked like he could float away at the slightest current. The sight of it made her giggle as she nuzzled the crown of his head with a soft hum.

“Lotor…” she sighed. “Are you in there?”

“Mm…” She got a graze of his tail fin against her side in reply. He looked up at her owlishly, gaze clearing. “I believe so.” He rested a hand over her belly and let his thumb track over the curve of it. The ache there had dulled, if only a little. It was enough to make it tolerable. 

They lay there, curled against each other, and lapsed into silence. Lotor let his fingers play along her scales, tracing patterns that she couldn’t place and didn’t care to as long as he was touching her. “You know,” he finally said, “You weren’t the only one who dreamed of this place.”

She glanced at him, curious. “What do you mean?”

“I dreamed of it too.” His thumb caught on the apple of her cheek, resting there as his palm fit against the curve of her jaw. “I’ve dreamed of this night, Allura…of mating with you, seeing to a clutch with you, raising our merlings together.” He leaned in to press his nose against her cheek, eyes sliding closed. “I’ve dreamed about it longer than I care to admit, but ever since I knew you thought of it too, I’ve scarcely dreamed of anything else.”

She studied his face – their coupling had left his features loose, almost serene. If it wasn’t for the steady stroke of his thumb along her cheek, she would have thought he’d drifted off to sleep right there. But the purple glow of the markings on his face and all down the length of his body was strong and comforting, and the sight of him like this, sated and so full of love, warmed Allura down to her bones.

With the moon high in the sky above them, they stayed there curled on their woven kelp bed, taking turns stroking their tail fins along across each other’s bodies. Allura couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, couldn’t want for a single thing in that moment – in fact, she could have easily slept there under the moonlight if not for the twinge in her lower belly that jostled her fully awake again.

The overwhelming feeling of _fullness_ grew more intense by the minute until it was nearly unbearable, and she shifted in Lotor’s arms to try and find some relief. But relief didn’t come, and her tail twitched in discomfort.

Lotor’s webbed hand traced a path down the length of her body, claws grazing past her dorsal fins and resting on the swell of her tail. “Allura?” His voice was calm, quiet – she leaned over to nuzzle him as she caught her lip between her pointed teeth.

“I need…” She let out a huff – it was a familiar feeling, her body tensing with the desire to expel her eggs, but it was so much _more_ this time. Not just a tired obligation that came with another season gone without a mate. This time her body thrummed with anticipation, warmth spreading across her skin and scales everywhere Lotor’s fingers roamed.

He helped turn over onto her stomach, his body a constant presence against her own as she held herself up at arm’s length, claws digging and catching in the woven folds of the kelp bed. Her tail curled into a half-circle in front of her, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Lotor’s curve along the other side, forming a protective ring. She smiled as he pulled her hair away from the nape of her neck and nuzzled her there.

“Let me, love,” he whispered, and again his hand wandered down along her scales, over the swollen curve of her belly. She was all too eager to let him press his hand there, sighing when he began to massage the bulge above her slit. Her claws curled against the kelp. Her entire body tensed, like a wire pulled taught, desperate for relief from this _pressure-_

Lotor’s teeth grazed over her shoulder, and she let out a gasp as her inner muscles began to pulse. She pressed forward against his hand, back arching, and with a quiet whine she expelled the first egg. Lotor nuzzled against her, his nose buried in the crook of her neck, coaxing her along with gentle presses of his hand and nips to her skin as she rocked back against him and brought forth another, and another…twelve in total, all shimmering with a soft pearlescent glow in the moonlight.

 _Finally,_ the pressure receded and left bone-deep exhaustion to settle into every corner of her body. She curled around her clutch, hyper-aware of every muscle twitch, ever movement that jostled the soft, fragile eggs beneath her tail fin. A shock of white hair drifted past her vision as Lotor leaned over her to look, and he reached out to nudge the nearest egg with one knuckle, impossibly gentle.

She watched him silently count them – once, twice, three times, like he couldn’t quite believe it was real, and she couldn’t help but smile at the wonder gleaming in his eyes alongside the moonlight. “Twelve of them,” he mused. “Twelve…twelve little pearls…”

Of course only about five or six were likely to actually hatch, but the prospect of even one little merling emerging by next season made her heart swell. Lotor’s tail fin brushed against her as he circled the nest, inspecting the clutch from every angle, counting them over and over, nudging them carefully into a tight, neat circle. He was already doting on them, even now…She had no doubt he would be ten times so as they looked after their clutch together for the rest of the season.

Finally, he settled in next to her, his tail flush against her own as he pressed his nose against her cheek. With him pressed close, curled around her, she finally allowed her eyes to slide closed.


End file.
